Real-Time Automated Multiplexed Sensor System for Driver Drowsiness Detection

Increased stress level in working environments, reduced sleep, variation in sleep pattern and time due to the adaptation of global time zone in working environments, increase in alcohol consumption, larger distance travel using high power automobiles, etc., contributes to increased level of driver drowsiness and fatigue. In the past decade, steep increase in accidents and loss of life was experienced mainly due to the increase in the driver drowsiness and fatigue. This research work aims in developing an intelligent wireless sensor network to monitor, and detect driver drowsiness in real-time. This real-time system consists of multiple non-obstructive sensors which continuously monitor the driver´s physiological parameters and disseminate the first level alarm to the driver and the passengers. The second level alarm will be disseminated, along with the vehicle identification number and the real-time location coordinates of the driver, to the nearby police station or the rescue teams using the available wireless ah-hoc network, if the driver´s state does not change even after the first level alarm. This research work contributed to the design and development of system architecture for real-time monitoring and detection of driver drowsiness. This work also integrated effective real-time sensor fusion techniques for monitoring the heart rate collected from the driver. One of the novel ideas in this research work is the development of multiple sensors embedded in the steering wheel capable to measure the heart rate and ECG, and dynamically alert the driver or the rescue team about the driver drowsiness, to avert accidents.